Wed. Sports Edge

June 30, 2004

The strong, swirling wind played a key role in the opening round of the 2004 Tylenol Par-3 Shootout. On the eighth hole, Phil Mickelson hit well beyond the green when his high, arching tee shot was carried long by a sudden burst of wind. It was pivotal because Mickelson was attempting to validate on the hole and win the first skin, worth $140,000. "It was just a smooth 9-iron because it was in the wind and when my ball reached its apex, we could feel the wind at my back," Mickelson told reporters after round one. "It took the ball well over the green." Mickelson ended up with a bogey and the prize money carried over.

€A mishap of a different kind affected Lee Trevino on the sixth hole. He was attempting to validate to claim a skin worth $100,000, but hooked his tee shot to the left of the green and into the gallery. Trevino has been battling a bad back for several weeks now and was forced to alter his swing prior to the Shootout to avoid a stabbing pain each time he hit the ball. On the sixth tee, for the only time in the round, he experienced a sharp pain as he swung and it affected the course of his shot.

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€As is the case every year, there was a lot of friendly ribbing going on among the golfers. On the seventh hole of day one, Fuzzy Zoeller was trying to validate his claim to $120,000 in prize money, but faced a difficult second shot from the fringe of the green. Mickelson, meanwhile, shot to within seven feet of the pin and was in good position for a birdie. As Zoeller was preparing to take his second shot, Mickelson told him: "You may want to make this putt." Zoeller tried for it, aggressively going after a birdie, but missed the pin and the ball traveled well beyond the hole. Mickelson went on to make his birdie, causing Zoeller to lose his claim on the prize money.

€The best zinger of the '04 Shootout came from Zoeller, a former Masters champ himself, who kidded Mickelson about the green jacket Phil won at Augusta in April. "Phil's sister told me he wore that thing for two weeks straight," Fuzzy told reporters in the media tent after day one, causing laughter all around. "I thought he was going to wear that green jacket down on the tee at the first hole."